Afghanistan

Ghani Receives Official Indian Welcome

President Ashraf Ghani, who is in India on a three-day official visit, was afforded an official ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president's residency, early Tuesday before holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

According to India's media, Ghani will meet with Modi at Hyderabad House during the course of the day.

India's media reports that in Ghani and Modi's first structured bilateral meeting they are expected to map out a plan for future relations and share views on key issues on security – primarily that relating to the Taliban.

The Ghani-Modi meeting is expected to provide India with the opportunity to reinforce its commitment to Aghanistan – a country it has supported extensively over the years in terms of providing aid. To date it has invested over $2 billion USD in Afghanistan – making it the country's fifth largest donor.

Later Tuesday, Ghani is expected to meet with various senior officials including several ministers – among them Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar and Health Minister JP Nadda. He will also meet with Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari.

Before attending a state banquet Tuesday night, Ghani will meet with President Pranab Mukherjee.

Wednesday will meanwhile be a day of talks with business leaders.

Speaking to a local Indian TV channel early Tuesday, Ghani said: "Afghanistan is going to be a platform for regional and global cooperation, not a battlefield for proxy wars."

He went on to say that Afghanistan needs to "lift our sights and change our game [plan]. Cooperation between states is key to the region to create regional stability."

He went on to say that Afghanistan matches words with action. "When we say we act against terror, we should act. We do not just confine ourselves to rhetoric."